Spotlight Appointed to Expand Licensed Merchandise Range for Ronnie Anderson Jr.’s Fairytale Book Series Starring Characters of Color

New York, NY —  For Ronnie Anderson Jr., sharing his Anboran™ fairy tales with the world has been a magical, heroic journey.

It is a journey that began when Anderson, a laboratory scientist, realized he could not find new, original, fairy tales featuring people of color to read to his three young daughters… so he decided to invent his own.

Anderson’s Anboran books – starting with his self-published Five Amazing Fairytales anthology featuring positive portrayals of characters of color in original fairy tales designed to appeal to children like his own – proved to be a hit not only with his own daughters but also with other African American families as well as schools, libraries, and manufacturers such as trend-savvy apparel giant Mad Engine Global.

“Representation in stories and product is obviously important to me; that’s what drove me to create Anboran in the first place,” says Anderson. “So I was thrilled when Mad Engine approached me about making Anboran products that children of color would be able to wear with pride and joy and a sense of belonging.”

With six beautifully illustrated Anboran storybooks already in print and Mad Engine Global’s line of Anboran clothing and accessories now available from retailers including Walmart, Target, Sears, Amazon, Hot Topic, and Box Lunch, Spotlight Licensing – the agency appointed by Anderson to manage the Anboran licensing program – believes now is the right time to help expand the Anboran brand even further with the right licensing partners.

“We know manufacturers and retailers are looking for ways to meet the growing demand for products with strong appeal for African-American consumers and what Ronnie is creating with Anboran makes it the perfect property for filling that unmet need,” says Spotlight Licensing President Carole Postal. “Spotlight’s job will be to find partners who are committed to increased diversity and representation and love Anboran just as much as we do.”

As global agent for the property, Spotlight is looking forward to talking to interested publishers, potential licensing partners, and sub-agents around the world. Spotlight is actively seeking licensees for Anboran dolls, toys, costumes, games, puzzles, stationery, greeting cards, and digital apps as well as arts & crafts, room décor, and more.

About Ronnie Anderson Jr.’s Anboran

Ronnie Anderson Jr., a certified laboratory scientist, and father of three girls saw a need for fairy tales for young children featuring characters of color when looking for stories to read to his children. As a scientist, creating something from scratch came naturally – when he could not find fairy tales for his daughters, he decided to write his own. After work, and putting his children to bed, Anderson began authoring his own stories featuring people of color. He engaged an illustrator and published his first book, the anthology Five Amazing Fairytales, in 2018. Since then, Anderson has collaborated with illustrator Seda Coskun to expand the original tales into their storybooks. The success of those stories led the two to collaborate on other original tales set in the magical land of Anboran. Among the company’s beautifully illustrated titles are Changing Beautiful, The Candlemaker And the Moon, Restoring Joy, Everla and the Stone Prince, and The Hairless Bear. The books are available at the company’s website Anboran.com as well as at Barnesandnoble.com. Anderson is currently working on a seventh Anboran book.

About Mad Engine Global

Founded in 1987 and acquired by Los Angeles-based global investment firm Platinum Equity in 2020, Mad Engine has grown to become a leading global wholesaler of licensed, branded and private label apparel and accessories.  Mad Engine creates products for some of the Country’s and World’s most well-known brands. Recently, Mad Engine added to its industry strength through the acquisition of Fifth Sun, the licensed apparel space leader in Print-on-Demand capabilities and distribution.  With Fifth Sun, Mad Engine’s footprint spans multiple continents, with unique locations dedicated to customer service, manufacturing, quality assurance and distribution.  Mad Engine is deeply committed to both the community and sustainability.

About Spotlight Licensing

Spotlight Licensing and Brand Management, Inc. (spotlightlicensing.com) is a New York City based boutique licensing agency specializing in representation of Entertainment, Art/Design, Digital properties, and Character Brands. For more information, visit spotlightlicensing.com